Cattle 1853 - Lewis Family Farm

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OPHTHALMIA. 159
If fungus sprout, it must be touched with caustie ; there is little
danger attending the operation.
The eyelids are more subject to disease in the ox than in any oth-
er domestic animal. If any foreign body gets into the eye, and remains
long there, the eyelids partake of the irritation ; become hot
and tender, and much thickened, ai>d will continue thickened sometimes
after the inflammation of the eye has subsided. Fomentations
will be proper here. Occasionally there is cedematous swelling of
the eyelid, especially where the pasture is damp and marshy.
These enlargements are too little thought of, and left to nature to re-
lieve ; but they indicate a degree of general debility, and a disposi-
tion in the eyes to disease. Many old cattle have eyelids either distended
with fluid infiltrated into the cellular texture, or from which
a portion of the fluid had been removed by absorption, but a deposit
remained, indicated by the impression of the finger being left upon
the lid, and are more or less out of condition, or will not fatten
kindly, or have lately had inflammation of the eyes, or will be attacked
by it soon afterwards.
A curious^appearance—not disease—has been observed in the eye-
lids of fat bullocks. A certain portion of gas has been infiltrated into
the cellular tissue. If this is a dissight, scarification may be made
on the lid, and the gas gradually pressed out.
The eye of the ox generally is large and flattish ; the transparent
• cornea is quite convex. The pupil is of a transverse oblong form
and the iris dark, but varying with the color of the animal.
It is on account of the cornea of the ox being so convex, and the
lens also more than usually convex, that many cattle appear to be
short-sighted, at. least while they are young, when they will approach
near to a stranger, before they appear to have made a satisfactory
examination of him.
OPHTHALMIA.
— ;
Ophthalmia is frequent in the ox. It has a periodical character,
and will disappear and return until it has its natural termination
blindness'. The cases of simple ophthalmia, however, proceeding
from the introduction of foreign bodies into the eyes, blows, or being
the accompaniment of other diseases, and then yielding to medical
treatment, are numerous in the ox, and, therefore, as it is not always
possible in the early stage to distinguish the one from the other, the
disease may be attacked with more confidence;.
The means of cure are bleeding and physic, as the constitutional
treatment ; and fomentations, cold lotions—opium in tincture—saturnine
lotions—zinc lotions, as local applications ; the opium during
the acute stage, the lead as soon as the inflammation begins to sub-
side, and the zinc as a :onic, when the inflammation is nearly subdued.